New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft has announced that he is cutting Columbia University off and will no longer be donating to the school because of the antisemitism and hate school officials have allowed to flourish on campus.
The billionaire NFL owner noted that he is thankful that Columbia helped him start his adult life with the opportunities it offered him so many years ago. Still, now the university is “no longer an institution” he recognizes, Fox News reported.
“It was through the full academic scholarship Columbia gave me that I was able to attend college and get my start in life, and for that, I have been tremendously grateful. However, the school I love so much – the one that welcomed me and provided me with so much opportunity – is no longer an institution I recognize,” he wrote in a statement released Monday.
Kraft added, “I am deeply saddened at the virulent hate that continues to grow on campus and throughout our country. I am no longer confident that Columbia can protect its students and staff, and I am not comfortable supporting the university until corrective action is taken.”
New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft speaks during a New England Patriots Hall of Fame induction ceremony during halftime of the game against the Buffalo Bills at Gillette Stadium on October 22, 2023, in Foxborough, Massachusetts. (Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)
He also said he hopes school officials will rectify the situation.
“It is my hope that Columbia and its leadership will stand up to this hate by ending these protests immediately and will work to earn back the respect and trust of many of us who have lost faith in the institution,” he wrote.
“It is my hope that in this difficult time, the Kraft Center at Columbia will serve as a source of security and safety for all Jewish students and faculty on campus who want to gather peacefully to practice their religions, to be together, and to be welcomed,” Kraft concluded.
Kraft launched the Foundation to Combat Antisemitism in 2023 to fight against hate and has been at the forefront of fighting against hate directed at Jews.
The hate and threats of violence aimed at Jewish students caused the university to institute remote classes on Monday and to shut down in-person class work.
On April 18, police arrested more than 100 pro-Palestinian demonstrators — including MN Dem. Rep. Ilhan Omar’s daughter –at Columbia after they set up an encampment on the New York City campus, Breitbart News reported.
Participants at Columbia University Pro-Palestinian Protest Chant: Oh Al-Qassam Brigades, You Make Us Proud, Kill Another Soldier Now! Israel Will Fall! Palestine Is Arab! @Columbia pic.twitter.com/RxAy03B2fS
— MEMRI (@MEMRIReports) April 18, 2024
On Sunday, the White House issued a statement in response to the ongoing anti-Israel protests and encampment taking place at Columbia, describing them as being “Antisemitic, unconscionable, and dangerous.”
White House Deputy Press Secretary Andrew Bates issued a statement acknowledging that American citizens have the “right to peaceful protest” while adding that “calls for violence and physical intimidation” against the Jewish community are unacceptable.
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